Last offseason the Angels signed Joe Blanton to a two-year, $15 million deal. He was horrendous, going 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA while getting dumped from the rotation and now, after a similarly terrible spring training, they’ve decided to simply release the 33-year-old right-hander. In doing so the Angels eat the $7.5 million Blanton is…

Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2014 season. Next up: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Big Question: After two years of disappointments, do the Angels have a shot? There…

Mark Mulder‘s comeback attempt ending before it really even began thanks to a torn Achilles’ tendon took a dent out of the Angels’ rotation depth, but they still aren’t willing to trust Joe Blanton and his $8.5 million salary. Blanton went 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA last season after signing with the Angels as a…

The Angels signed reliever Joe Smith to a three-year, $15.75 million deal on Saturday, just a day after adding third baseman David Freese and reliever Fernando Salas in a trade for Peter Bourjos and prospect Randal Grichuk. As a result, the Angels have about $8 million left before hitting the $189 million luxury tax threshold,…

The setup market is all set up: Joe Smith and the Angels have come to terms on a three-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown reports that it’s worth $15.75 million. Obviously, it’s a big price for a pretty anonymous guy, but Smith has a 2.97 ERA since entering the…

Adrian Cardenas was a Phillies first-round pick in 2006 and established himself as a solid second base prospect, getting traded to the A’s for Joe Blanton in mid-2008. He hit .292 at Triple-A and got a cup of coffee with the Cubs last season, appearing in 45 games as a 24-year-old, but decided not to…

Angels starter Joe Blanton has the third-worst ERA in baseball at 5.66. That, and a recent confrontation with pitching coach Mike Butcher, are reasons the Angels are looking to remove him from the rotation. Via MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez and William Boor: “We’re working on a couple things now,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We’re going…

Joe Blanton allowed four runs in four-plus innings of work this afternoon, ending his first half with a 5.53 ERA, the second-worst mark in the American League behind Wade Davis at 5.89. After Blanton was taken out after allowing the first three batters he faced in the fifth inning to reach base on a single,…

The longest current winning streak in the majors belongs to the Pirates (at eight straight games). The second-longest streak belongs to Anaheim. Joe Blanton surrendered just three hits over seven innings and shortstop Erick Aybar went 2-for-5 with two RBI as the Angels defeated the Astros 7-2 on Saturday night in Houston for their fifth…

Joe Blanton is 1-10 with a 5.87 ERA and the Angels just announced that the veteran right-hander’s next turn in the rotation will be skipped. That means he won’t start Sunday against the Yankees as scheduled, with the Angels lining up C.J. Wilson, Tommy Hanson, and Jered Weaver for the three-game series instead. It’s tough…

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are placing right-hander Brandon McCarthy on the disabled list due to shoulder problems. This confirms a report by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Of course, shoulder issues are nothing new for McCarthy, who gave up six runs on nine hits over 2 2/3 innings in…